6 Charlie, Steele, and The Property Man
by SteeleHere44
Summary: Story 6. They work together to solve a challenging case. But, What about their own private challenge?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer:

Remington Steele and its characters are owned by MTM. No copyright infringement intended. For entertainment purposes only.

Set after Season 4. Bonds of Steele and Season 5 are not in my universe.

Chapter 1:

She felt an odd taste in her mouth. Her eyelids didn't want to cooperate, and her limbs were numbly tickling. The feeling was unusual; like while having a dream when even trying to do things, the action seems to be frozen in time and away from reach. However, one sensation was starting to be clear: the room was cold; she was cold, very cold. And there was a light, a light that had felt so far away at the beginning, but it was getting closer, feeling like warm sunlight.

"Miss Holt, Miss Holt! Are you ok?" said Dr. Phillips. "Wake up! We are finished here. You have to wake up! "

He hadn't given her an excessive dose of anesthesia. But the drug hit her badly. He'd called the nurse to help him wake her up. "I'm leaving you with Lauren, Miss Holt. I have another patient waiting for me. You'll be fine." He gave some instructions to the nurse and left the room.

"Lauren, Lauren, who was Lauren?" She began to put her bearings together. At least, her eyes cooperated, and she discovered a silhouette. After a brief sight tour around the room, some memories started to get in place. She was at the dentist. A root canal was needed, and she received the treatment in the morning, in the early morning to be specific. She had a lot of things to do after her dentist appointment, so the earlier the ugly situation was finished, the better. Now, she was free to follow the day enjoying more pleasant activities, more in the line of mysteries. Another soul would have called that work, but for Laura Holt that was a pleasure.

"Miss Holt, Laura. Are you ok?" asked the nurse, a slight uncertainty in her question.

"Yes, I'm fine Lauren. Just a bit dizzy, but I'm fine." She was able to move her hands with ease, and her self-control was back. "It's good to be in control of my own body again," she murmured.

"I'm going to bring your antibiotic prescription, and you'll be able to leave once you're ready," said the nurse.

"Thank you, Lauren."

After a couple of minutes, she stood up and grabbed her purse. She would have to stop by the pharmacy to get her antibiotics, and after that, she would be free to go to the office. Or maybe she could go straight to the agency to catch up about the morning events. The second option sounded better. It was routine what she needed. The prescription would have to wait.

In the meantime, the morning at the office hadn't been as she thought. The Remington Steele Agency was going through a stressful week. Mildred was stuck in the middle of a discussion with some of the contractors developing the new project to reshape the office. And Mr. Steele wasn't in the middle of any debate, as everybody would guess. He was hidden in the stuff room, resting comfortably on his executive chair, furniture that had been conveniently carried there the day before. He had a cup of tea on the shelf on his right and the paper in his hands. It was almost a perfect morning, only different because Laura wasn't there. Eventually, it could have been counted as an advantage, because nobody was pushing him to get some work done. But that was only until he started to miss her. He had been a loser in that department since a couple of months ago. The time they'd spent together had run fast. But the time when they weren't together run like in slow motion. They were both eager to meet each other at the office, every morning. He was even arriving at a respectable hour, just to feel the pleasure to share her good mood at the start of the day. That was the real Laura, a creature filled with energy waiting to be freed. It was a smart thing to share her good mood in the early morning either, because as the day went on, sometimes things got tangled and so got her humor.

Miss Holt opened the agency doors, their agency as she was getting used thinking of since he had obtained his license, mostly. Mildred wasn't at her desk, but the mail was, waiting for the pair of expert eyes to lay on it. She grabbed the envelopes and walked towards her office while peering through them. Right from the moment Miss Holt had opened the door, she'd noticed her shelter was as if hit by a hurricane. She remembered then, that they were in the middle of a renovation and that their offices were taken for the week. She closed the door and walked to Mr. Steele's office. But in there she found Mildred speaking to a worker about all the things he was doing in the wrong way and about all the things that he didn't have the chance to ruin yet because they were still not done. Although the scene was not unusual, given the situation, there was something missed in the whole picture; or in more accurate words, someone: him. The only place which remained looking like an office was the reception area. She decided to use Mildred's desk for a while, and after dropping her belongings behind it, Miss Holt decided a cup of coffee would help her to get off the odd taste in her mouth. She opened the stuff room door, and an image of the back of someone wearing a cap, probably part of the remodeling team, sitting there having a break; was all she needed to put her plan on hold.

"Oh, excuse me," said Laura, closing the door. But just when her hand was leaving the handle, she recognized the silhouette. She opened the door again, and failed to hide a smile, "What are you doing here? You are hiding like a child… Mr. Steele… that's not the behavior expected from the great detective whose shoes you are wearing! What are our clients going to say if they know?" She took off the cap from his head and, leaving his hair a bit tousled she stood there, in front of him.

"Welcome to my new shelter, Laura! I'm afraid Pedro and his team are getting comfortable making our delightful routines miserable. I needed a place to at last put my chair in place near my cup of tea and my paper. You know how attached to routines I'm getting used by being by your side…" He decided to shorten the distance between them, stood up, and bringing her closer, face to face separated only by inches, he greeted her with a good morning kiss. It was then when he realized something.

When he'd peered her agenda the previous day, he'd thought that the dentist appointment written in there wasn't settled with a real dentist. More like with another kind of specialist. But the taste of her mouth told him he'd been wrong. He silently congratulated himself about the wise idea to keep his mouth shut about his supposition. A sudden relief invaded him for not allowing a word to escape from his mouth betraying his previous wrong statement.

"Good morning to you too!" she managed to say once his lips left hers.

"How did it go with your dentist appointment?" he asked slightly stroking her face.

"I can say that it was rather acceptable. I´m not used to going to the dentist, you know. I can barely stand all that stuff about anesthesia. I don't think I can get used to it, ever." She released herself from his embrace, trying to refocus her mind in her previous assignment.

"You'll never get used to being out of reality under any circumstance, Laura. It's not your style, believe me. You love to feel your roots strongly attached to reality and duty. The mere thought of being out of your self-control even for a brief period of time might make you crazy in a blink. Even if the event is a medical procedure, I pity the professional that would take more of your precious time than the needed, having you out of control of every little detail of your world and body." He said looking at her while she was pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"Are we supposed to start our day with anesthesia or without it?" She asked a bit annoyed by his comments, "Because I've had my dose of the drug early in the morning. Do I have to go back to the dentist asking for another one?"

"No need for that Laura. I was just trying to be strictly attached to reality. But if we are talking about being attached, I'd rather want to be attached to a special lady detective today. Would you do me a favor and remain attached to me for the rest of the day, Miss Holt?" He bowed his head to hers and pulling her by the waist, added, "Please?"

She was trying to remain focused, not allowing him to savor his triumph without a little dose of suffering. "Okay, Mr. Steele. If you want to be attached to me the whole day, try to fasten your speed. We have a lot of things to do, and without a decent place to work here at the office, we might have to fill our day doing tasks outdoors.

"Outdoor tasks?" He asked her, showing displeasure. "What kind of outdoor tasks are we talking about, Laura? Please don't tell me you are counting on us practicing some kind of sport under the light of the sun. Especially when are familiar with better ways to burn calories, much more gratifying. Just think about the possibilities including the two of us training ourselves in one of the oldest sports able to be executed under a roof, playing as a team, our efforts rewarded with the satisfaction of a well-deserved prize…" and stopping the explanation about his ideal kind of exercise, he wiggled his eyebrows waiting for her answer.

"I think we are thinking about different insights of the word sport. And neither of them seems to be useful at the moment. Let's put our office to work Mr. Steele, and who knows, maybe once the boring part of the job is done, we can join ourselves in a satisfying practice tonight… But I want the prerogative to select the appropriate ground."

"And which would be my prerogative after a hard work day, Miss Holt?"

"Just think about the possibilities, Mr. Steele."

"That I can certainly do Miss Holt…"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

After a brief detour to the pharmacy to get Laura's prescription and a bottle of water to start with her medical treatment, they took the highway to Santa Monica. Their next outdoor task was a meeting with a client. It was a new case, and by the information Mildred gave them in advance, the mystery was like the ones they both loved to solve. The client was a wealthy man, genuinely upper class and very well known because of his charity donations.

After traveling through a driveway surrounded by oak trees, they caught sight of the mansion. The view was magnificent. Autumn was hitting the place and leaves color ranged from gold to almost scarlet. They parked the car, and when they were climbing to the main entrance, the door opened, and a butler invited them in. Mr. Steele felt like a fish in the water. He enjoyed being in touch with such a sophisticated world. Maybe because it was all he didn't have when he was a boy; perhaps because it was the world Daniel had introduced him by default, or maybe because it was the world he'd watched utterly entranced in his favorite classic movies. The chance to run a case settled in such magnificent surrounding and full of exciting characters was a pleasure, and the fact that Laura would join him on this occasion was an extra bonus.

They waited for Mr. Stanhope at his office. The place looked like a classic wooden library, but only different because of the big English style desk settled in front of the big window.

Laura sat down, but Mr. Steele chose to walk through the place, paying attention to every small thing absolutely delighted. There were a lot of details calling his attention. One of them was the vital position the books occupied there. The fact that the desk was in front of the window, looking outside, was another. The classic atmosphere explained a lot about the spirit of the owner. Mr. Steele was immersed in his thoughts when he saw Laura standing up. Mr. Stanhope had come into the room. He stopped just in front of her.

"Good afternoon Miss Holt, I'm George Stanhope, a pleasure to meet you." He shook her hand and invited her to sit down again. It was then when he noticed Mr. Steele, who was coming from the opposite part of the room, "Good afternoon Mr. Steele."

"Good afternoon, Mr. Stanhope."

"Please have a sit and get the business started."

Given the circumstances, and taking into consideration that Mr. Stanhope was an old-fashioned man; as Mildred had already told them, Mr. Steele was going to be the one talking. Old fashioned clients deserved old-fashioned manners, and he was the best to play following that rules. Besides, the fact that he was the one speaking came handy this time. Laura was with part of her face still under the anesthesia effect, and she felt more comfortable speaking as less as possible.

"Our secretary told us you wanted to hire Remington Steele Investigations, but only on the condition that the case would be driven by me, am I right Mr. Stanhope?" asked Mr. Steele.

"Yes, that's exactly what I told her. I want you leading the case, and it's an exclusionary condition," answered Mr. Stanhope.

"Splendid. We've set that clear. Although, I must say that you'd have to tell us what the case is about because we need to evaluate if our agency is capable of bringing you a positive result. If we don't agree to take the case, be sure that our conversation would never get out of this room," said Mr. Steele.

"Your position is clearly established, Mr. Steele. I'll give you the details about the fact that is worrying me." He cleared his throat, trying to use the time to put the words in order in his mind while getting ready to start to talk. The man was in his mid-sixties, extremely cautious; and very self-confident, owner of a very stylish speaking manner. That he was very polite was really out of the question. He was a gentleman.

"I am a wealthy man, but not as a result of my own work. I've inherited a fortune the family owns since a century ago. Even it is an advantage; I believe in not living my life nonchalantly, not giving the chance to cultivate myself with quality in every area I'm allowed to. I've chosen a road to follow because I'm attracted to art in each and every branch itself. I love history, paintings, artworks, and literature," said Mr. Stanhope.

Mr. Steele was listening to his client like children listen to fairy tales. He was absolutely enchanted. Laura was trying to figure out what the man was going to ask them before the question escaped out of his mouth, but she couldn't guess anything.

"The issue, Mr. Steele, is that I write just for pleasure. I preserve my work only to myself because I am aware of its low quality. It's a private writing. I write about simple things, but mostly I write about my feelings."

Laura gave Mr. Steele a brief gaze, and their eyes met for a brief instant. Was Mr. Stanhope talking about something like a personal journal? The thought of a gentleman like him writing that kind of material sounded at last ordinary.

Stanhope continued his explanation, "I have my writing classified in several volumes. The reason originating my need for the services of Remington Steele Investigations is that two of these volumes have disappeared. They are not in its place anymore. And it goes without saying, that I am concerned about their contents being public. The manuscripts disappeared on July 13th. We returned from an appointment outside the house, and they were already gone."

"I see," said Mr. Steele. "Where did you keep them? Did anybody else have access to them?"

"They were in my desk drawer. It's a secure place. I open the lock when I start my work day, and I lock it back when I finish. The drawer is always locked when I am not working, and I carry the key myself."

"Is there a possibility of anybody else getting access to your private things? Asked Laura, saying a word for the first time since the meeting had started.

"I don't believe it is, Miss Holt. I'm not a very sociable man. I'm not married, and I don't have any siblings or relatives. I live here alone, except for the staff of the house. Each and every one of them have been working here for years. They deserve all my trust."

After a brief look at each other, they both knew they were taking the case. "Mr. Stanhope, I think you can count on our services. We'll have to work here for a while, trying to find anything useful, and we will have to interrogate your staff eventually. If you are comfortable with that, we can start right now."

"In that case, we have an agreement. Lehman, my assistant, will be ready to help you with anything you need. He'll be waiting for you in the next room." With that, Mr. Stanhope stood up, shook the detective's hands and left the room.

"What do you think it happened with those writings?" asked Laura.

"Why don't we make an inspection around the house starting here in this room, and following through the whole mansion? We should ask Lehman for Mr. Stanhope's desk drawer key. It would be a good idea to check the lock."

"It seems the right way to start. Let me look for him while you start with the checking," said Laura. She was starting to feel the absence of the anesthesia effect, and the need to do something to distract her was imperious. She made her way across the hall, and after taking a look at the room on her left, she noticed a man dressed in a neat suit. He was standing there waiting for somebody needing him.

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Lehman?" she asked. "I'm Laura Holt. Mr. Stanhope told us to look for you."

"Yes, I'm Richard Lehman. I'm at your service madam. Please tell me how I can help you," he politely said to Laura.

"Would you come with me, please?" She tried to speak just the necessary words. The rest of the conversation would be conducted by Mr. Steele.

Once in the study, the detective asked him for the key. Then Lehman retrieved it from Mr. Stanhope. He returned with the item and gave it to Mr. Steele, who inspected it in detail, before opening the drawer. Once the detective had taken it off, Mr. Steele made an exhaustive revision of the entire stylish furniture. Once he'd finished, he returned the key to Lehman.

By the time they were done, with nothing else to check, Laura's mood was going down towards the danger zone. She was very uncomfortable, and Mr. Steele's decision to call it a day was very welcome by both of them.

"Do you want to stop by the office or we should go right the way home, Laura?" asked a cautious but decided Mr. Steele. She seemed to be in real discomfort, and he was determined to be with her just in case the situation turned out worse.

"I think we can skip the office for today. The place is a mess, and so do I. Take me home, to the loft, and then go to Rossmore. I can manage myself for the night," she told him making an effort to speak.

He noticed her punctual intent to mention their respective homes. She wanted to be alone, as always, showing herself as a brave auto-sufficient woman. But he wasn't going to give her the pleasure this time. He was going to stay with her for the night. He was concerned, and she would have to respect his need to be near her. The decision was taken. "Laura, we are going to the loft. You are going to try to relax, and I will be staying for the night. It's a taken decision," he stated.

"And since when you feel yourself with the right to decide about my whereabouts, or about your possibilities to spend the night at my place without asking?"

"Since the moment you are in no condition to give a wise opinion on the matter. You want to stay at the loft, and I'm going to stay with you there. If you happen to disagree, Laura, let me tell you that you will have to live with it. I'm going to spend the night right there in the loft. And it's a no negotiable fact."

He kept his eyes on the road, not giving her the chance of a retort. She was fuming, but he was going to remain firm in his plan.

They arrived at the loft and Laura led the way straight to her room. She changed her work clothes for a sweat pant and a t-shirt, and after collecting a glass of water from the kitchen, she sat on her bed, took her medicine, and turned off the light. She was off for the night. Or at least, that was her wish.

Mr. Steele remained on the couch trying to relax after their quarrel in the car, savoring a glass of wine. Once he had got some of the stress out of his body, he decided to check on her. Laura's body was in the same position than when she'd turned off the light. She was finally sleeping, but although her breathing was calm, the pain was reflected on her face. He took off his clothes and got into bed beside her, carefully. After a few minutes, he'd also sunk in a deep slumber.

He woke up around midnight, realizing he was alone in the bed. Laura was on the couch, a book in her hands. "How are you feeling, Laura?" he asked, a trace of worry in his voice.

"I'm all right; not in a way to party at the moment, but getting better," she answered closing the book and looking at him.

"I'm glad you are feeling better. I hate to see you in pain." He sat on the couch beside her and took her hand between his.

"I know. I am sorry about earlier. I was out of myself with pain, and didn't measure my words." She leaned her body against him with a sigh, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"I know. We both said things that we knew we would be regretting later. Don't worry and keep the energy to heal yourself," Mr. Steele took her chin in his hand, and gave her a sweet and slight kiss, avoiding the soreness in her face.

They resumed their rest cuddled together in bed, and by the time the alarm woke her up, a delicious smell was invading the loft. Laura turned off the tormenting device and began her way to the bathroom. Once she had the chance to take a look of her reflection on the mirror, she couldn't believe what her eyes were seeing. Half of her face was swollen. The positive part was that she was not in pain anymore. She showed some water over her face, washed her teeth with extreme caution, and followed the delicious smell just to its origin. "Good morning. Mr. Steele."

"Good morning Laura," he looked at her, "Nice to see you are feeling better."

"How is that you can do wonders with nothing, I will never know. It smells delicious!"

"I've found all I needed. I have to confess that I have a secret place in your kitchen, where I hide some of my usual breakfast ingredients. It seems that for you, the kitchen is not a place deserving to waste your detecting instincts, I reckon."

"I have everything I need in my kitchen just in the correct place, Mr. Steele," answered Laura pretending to be a bit offended. "I don't feel the need to waste my detecting instincts in such an ordinary place."

"And which are the needed things you say you have in your kitchen, Laura? Just give me a clue, and maybe with a bit of my detective training I would be able to find anything edible in your fridge."

"I have some yogurt, orange juice, some fruit, and a variety of cereals. That's all a woman with a healthy diet needs for breakfast," she answered him with a touch of arrogance.

"Well, maybe a woman following a healthy diet would take the chance to enjoy a not so healthy breakfast with her favorite chef for once…" he looked at her like begging.

She couldn't help a laugh. "Of course she will. It will be her pleasure. Do you think he is ready to satisfy every one of her appetites?" she asked him in her most suggestive voice.

"Let's start with breakfast, and we'll work about your other appetites later, Miss Holt."

He took the dishes from the counter and started their way to the table.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Laura arrived at the office after leaving Mr. Steele at Rossmore, allowing him the chance to put himself up to his usual dressing standards. They would have to spend the day out of the office again, and the thought of him feeling uncomfortable with his clothes through the whole journey would add additional suffering aside of her own possible soreness.

"Good morning Mildred."

"Good morning, Miss Holt. How are you today? Ouch! I wish I wouldn't have asked…" said Mildred when she noticed Laura's swollen cheek, almost invisible under makeup, but very visible for the secretary's trained eyes.

"I'm ok, thank you, Mildred. I'm not in pain, and I think the swelling is getting better than early in the morning."

"Don't worry Miss Holt. Between the makeup and the fedora, nobody will notice anything. How did it go yesterday at Mr. Stanhope's?" asked the secretary.

"We took the case, Mildred. There are some manuscripts missed. It's personal stuff that Mr. Stanhope is eager to find. It looks like a routine case. We are going to work there for the day. I've just come to see how things are going here. How is Pedro doing? Is he going to end the work as planned?"

"Oh, honey. I don't know. Once I have the luck to get something done from him, the man disappears like Houdini. He turns out again just to get his belongings ready and leave. Why does Mr. Steele always give him another chance? The man is not going to change, Miss Holt. And the lucky one dealing with him seems always to be me. I hope the boss will reconsider to hire him again in the future…"

"I won't put a bet on that, Mildred…"

"I know, honey. It's just a wish…"

"Morning, morning, morning! How is the Remington Steele's favorite staff feeling this morning? Beautiful ladies, being the three of us here together, enjoying a lovely and early morning, why don't we allow us the pleasure to share a delicious tea enlightened with some creamy croissants…"

"Are you kidding? Are you still hungry!? You've just had a very delicious breakfast… I can't believe you are in need of more..." she stopped abruptly in her tracks, Mr. Steele astonished look on her face. Mildred was paying attention, really entranced, to every one of her words. But Laura realized late, when she was in the middle of her tirade, that she was revealing too much about their joined breakfast, a mistake she would regret later.

"Let's skip the late breakfast, Miss Holt. I think you've just put me out of the mood for that. Work is waiting for us at Mr. Stanhope's house. Are we ready?" he asked, giving her a clue to run away from Mildred until the secretary would find the gap in their dialogue and ask one of her questions.

"We are ready indeed, Mr. Steele. See you later Mildred."

They left the agency in a hurry. Once they were in front of the elevator doors, Mr. Steele told her without looking at her, "If I had realized that the way to make you run away from the office was hidden under Mildred's capable hands, believe me that I'd had taken advantage to take her as an allied more than once in the past."

"I am sure you'd had. But then, I think you've got the wrong picture in there. The way to make me run away from the office wasn't hidden under Mildred's capable hands. I was the one that made a huge mistake opening my mouth without thinking."

"On the contrary, Laura. I've got the picture. We are lucky to have the chance to work in this case outside of the agency. I suspect she's thinking about her next interrogation round at this very moment."

"Be careful, Mr. Steele. Our dark shadow is barely ten steps behind us, and you know she has special antennas to catch any juicy and useful dialogue between us to replace her evening's literature…" she gave him a mischievous smile that he returned almost instantly. The elevator door opened, at last, giving them the opportunity to escape from the old lady's musings.

They started the day by interviewing the staff. They divided it into two groups: The outside crew, including outdoor cleaners, gardeners, chauffeurs, and maintenance staff; and the inside group, including the butler, chef and sôus chef, kitchen assistants; the chambers maids, and the principal ones working in all the common areas of the mansion. It was a real battalion at the service of just one man.

They decided to start interviewing the inside staff except for Richard Lehman, the private assistant, whose interview would be relegated to the end. They wanted to hear everybody's opinion about everybody. As Lehman was the one in charge of the rest of the crew, they would have the chance to ask questions about him to every one of its members before his own interview.

They decided to work in the library because people would be in a better mood to answer their questions being out of their own work area. The interrogations advanced in the first place over the kitchen's personnel and followed over the waitresses and butler. The chambers maids questioning took a particular time. Everybody seemed to have been working there since a long time ago, and nobody was showing signs of being dissatisfied with any aspect of their jobs. The payment was good enough, and the work environment felt comfortable for everybody.

All the employees talked marvels about Mr. Stanhope. And the feeling they were showing was that it was not only an appreciation from employee to employer. They all seemed to appreciate the old man, just because he was a generous person with everybody.

After about four hours, both of them were ready to take a break and recharge batteries comparing notes. Laura had followed a precise path, writing opinions and personal details in her notebook. Mr. Steele didn't write anything. He wasn't even carrying a notebook. Every detail was plastered in his mind.

The trip to the restaurant they've seen earlier, on their way to the mansion, was made in silence. They were thinking about the recent interviews, trying to arrive at conclusions to share during their lunch.

Once their orders were on the table; they began to speak.

"Did you find anything interesting through our four-hour marathon?" asked Laura.

"Well, I think we both arrived at a coincidental conclusion about our flavorful interviews. Everybody loves George, everybody is fine with the job, and everybody is eager to help to find a solution to the situation. However, you can be happy in your job, happy in general, but by all means, Laura… Did you notice that nobody said a negative word there?" He ended his words looking at her with interest, waiting for her opinion.

"Yes, I noticed. I don't know if we would be able to find something from the outside staff. Maybe we should try to turn down things and see if something comes out."

"And how do you suggest we play that move?" The intrigue was planted inside of him.

"Maybe we should read some of Mr. Stanhope's written volumes to find the kind of writing he uses to do there. Check if he writes about feelings, or about the people close to him. Maybe that would give us a clue about how he really feels about anyone at the house. I suppose we would have to ask for permission from Mr. Stanhope, but I don't think he would refuse. Our agreement is based on secrecy, and any information should stay under the same statement. Maybe it would be wise to ask Mildred to write a contract including detailed specifications. He would feel safe with that, and we would be safe with that back-up either."

"Are you really thinking we are in need of a written backup in this case, Laura? I see it as an easy one. I don't think we are going to need to use any contract against Mr. Stanhope. The man is straightforward, and he seems to be a man of word," said Mr. Steele.

"I agree with you, but remember what happened when we were supposed to protect the Royal Lavoulite some years ago, and the whole case turned out against us, with the agency almost losing its license. We have to do things responsibly. If we have the chance to put everything in a contract, it will be what we'll do."

"Okay, let's do it your way, Laura. I'm afraid if we don't, and anything goes wrong, I'll be doing paperwork in punishment until the end of times."

"Who is going to call Mildred? I don't think that after my earlier slip I could manage a serious conversation with her without getting tangled in her suppositions."

"I can't believe you are still embarrassed about that Miss Holt…" He smiled wickedly.

"I'm still embarrassed, I must confess. And I think that your abilities to entangle Mildred in a conversation are really superior to mines. So, go ahead and con her. You are the master in that department, Mr. Steele."

"Okay, Laura, I'll make the call."

"Oh, and tell her that we will return to pick up the papers later. She can leave the same hour as always."

"You don't cease to surprise me, Laura. The bravest woman I know is afraid to have a serious talk with her own secretary…"

"I 'm afraid I'll have to live with that…" she said showing some resignation and sipping her beverage to swallow the moment.

The day continued as they thought, and after the second round of interrogations, they were still in the same place: at the beginning. The difference was that they had a big part of the supposed investigation done, but no clue to follow. That left them in the middle of nowhere, with no horizon to put their focus on.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

The corridor was empty. All the usual sounds were absent. Two silhouettes were moving carefully towards the Remington Steele agency doors. They stopped, and after looking both ways cautiously, they opened the door and got into the office. Mr. Steele walked in the first place and Laura behind his back, her hands on his waist.

"I can't believe we are doing this like in a stakeout, Laura." told her Mr. Steele almost in a whisper.

"Look at the romantic side of the moment, Mr. Steele. It is a quiet evening; our workday is finished, we are alone in the middle of a dark office without the chance of any interruption, both of us ready to spring into action... I can barely keep my breathing normal."

He couldn't believe what he was listening. "Are you feeling all right, Laura? Did you have your medicine?"

"Why, Mr. Steele…I would have never guessed that your stamina would not be up when we are playing our stakeouts! You seem to be always ready for action!" she told him.

"I am always ready for action, Laura. But do you really think that getting into our own office like thieves, crashing into the darkness against every misplaced piece of furniture, the two of us hiding from our own secretary while looking for a boring contract, counts as an exciting stakeout?"

"Well, I can agree with a few of your statements…here we are, the two of us alone into our dark office, after a hard working day, without the chance of any interruption, and with our stamina up waiting for an excuse to spring it into action." She gave him an inviting look." I'm feeling adventurous tonight, what are we waiting for, Mr. Steele?" That was the last push he needed.

"I think you've convinced me, Miss Holt…" he stopped his words and in one bold move, he pulled her to him, finding her lips in the dark, sharing with her a scorching kiss while pushing her towards his office with a very entranced pace.

"I have to tell you, Laura, that I find your insight of our stakeouts, absolutely exciting… You are showing me a totally different idea about the sexy excitement hidden in them."

"Oh, I know, Mr. Steele. Believe me; I know. But please, stop talking. We are supposed to execute our mission in silence…"

They were in the middle of the romantic interlude when a sound from the reception area caught their attention. Trying to compose their unkempt state in a flash, they separated their bodies; Mr. Steele stood up, and after tidying up his attire, he went to the reception area, looking for the intruder.

"Mildred?" a male voice asked. Right then the famous detective turned on the lights.

"Mr. Steele! It was you! I was afraid if it would be an intruder. The door was unlocked, and the lights were off…" said the guard.

"It was not an intruder, mate. Just me and Miss Holt looking for some files we need to study for tomorrow."

Laura's hands went directly to her face. She couldn't believe Mr. Steele's words. It wasn't enough with Mildred ready in the trenches to catch them at the first opportunity, but now the night guard would be aware of their evening activities at the office.

"I see everything is ok then. Call me if you need anything, Mr. Steele. Goodnight." said the guard politely and left.

"Goodnight mate…"

Mr. Steele returned to his previous location, and found Laura, sitting on a chair, her face in her hands, and her gaze lost in the dark. "Are you all right, Laura?"

"Is that the only question you have under your sleeve for the entire night? I am okay. Everything else…is anything but okay!" Now her voice had made a turn from the sensual one of the detective in a romantic stakeout into her own office, to the furious Laura being aware that things would not be under control shortly. It was a twist, a scaring twist.

"Everything is very frustrating! We are in the middle of a case, with no clues to follow, our secretary is ready to jump on us to take any information about our private, romantic life, and now the night guard knows that we were together at the office with every light off, and who knows what he'd seen or heard... And over all of that, I'm starting to have a headache. If I am okay?" she was shouting at this moment. "I am not okay! I'm embarrassed, I am depressed…I am furious! Take the file and let's go home!"

He grabbed the file and followed her without saying a word. The situation was incandescent, and he didn't want to be the one burned at the end. They got into the car, and he turned the key to start the engine. After that, he didn't move. He knew that the following question would lift her rage to the stratosphere, so he waited until the last second to make it.

"What's the matter with you? Let's go!" she ordered.

"Laura, as we've just had a discussion last night about the word home specifically speaking, may I ask you what home is the one you want us to go, mine or yours?" His voice was barely audible by the time.

"I don't mind! Just take us out of this place!"

"Your order is my command, Miss Holt." He pushed the accelerator, and the office was behind them in a flash.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

They arrived at Rossmore after a very silent trip. Laura was sitting on the couch reading the contract, and Mr. Steele was in the kitchen fixing a light dinner. Salad and some toasts with cheese looked like the better option.

He put the dishes on the coffee table and went to the kitchen to choose a bottle of wine. When he came back with it, Laura raised her eyes from the papers and closed the file. She stood up and went in silence to the kitchen. After a while, returned glass of water in hand. He remembered then that she was still going under her medical prescription, and alcohol was not allowed in the meantime. "Sorry." He apologized.

"It's ok. No wine for me tonight."

He began to eat the salad, and thinking about changing the subject into a less dangerous one, asked "Is everything ok with the contract? We should have it signed tomorrow, and we could start with your plan immediately."

"I think we could do that," she answered tiredly.

He put the fork down and without looking at her face, took her hand in his and kissed the back of it. He wasn't going to ask the same question again, but he wanted her to know that he was concerned.

"I am ok. Sorry again about what happened at the office. I don't know what crossed my mind to put us in such a risky situation. I feel things are getting out of control, and I hate the sensation.

She sighed, "The last time I allowed myself to play a game like that, I finished hurt and alone. And the only place that was a shelter at that moment it was work. I felt safe there, and I took care to keep the agency out of my wild sides. But now, I don't know what's happening to me…"

"Nothing is happening to you, Laura. Something is happening to us. We are playing a new game, both of us, and we are discovering new sides of our relationship that obviously are still to be explored. Tonight at the office, it wasn't only you the one playing out of the limits. I was there too, and I agreed to play with you. The office was a safe place for you because the romantic side of your persona was not allowed there back then. But things are different now. We work together, and we take the romance with us everywhere we go. We can choose to live it or not, according to the circumstances. But it will still be there, waiting for us."

"But I love to do that kind of things! You know I love adventures. The problem is, I measure the implications but right after I act. And that's not a wise way to live."

"And who says that we have to live wisely, Laura? We have to live our lives in our own way. And I think our own way includes excitement, emotion, sensuality, and romance. We can't keep that apart from our day-to-day. We live with that at the office, and we live with that outside the office, and it is ok because that's how we are."

"Maybe we can try to detect when our choices are turning into dangerous ones and correct them before acting, to decrease the negative impact?"

"Maybe that could be a start. I think making public our relationship to the people we care about would be another option. Once we do that, some of the risks will disappear instantly."

"Are you talking about Mildred and my family?" she asked knowing the answer in advance.

"I think that would be a wise start. Contrary to your thoughts, they could turn out very well into allies, instead of enemies. "

"Ok. Let me think about it. I'd have to be used to the idea."

They resumed their eating, and after they finished taking care of the dishes in the kitchen; he stood by her back, put his arms around her, and started to kiss her neck.

"Was anything else, aside from the wine, forbidden because of your medicine, Laura?"

"Hmm, I can't think about anything else forbidden at the moment," she answered in a whisper, delighted with his caresses.

"In that case, I think I have a special treatment for you tonight, Miss Holt."

"I can't wait to be under your capable hands, Mr. Steele."

"Who says you have to wait, Miss Holt?


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

Mildred was in the middle of an argument with Pedro, about the whole place being a complete disorder. It seemed that, for the man, the more rooms in the process of disaster, the better.

At that very moment, Mr. Steele appeared in his office, wearing one of his Italian suits, walking through the room like avoiding mines in a battlefield. "Good morning Mildred! Nice to see you right in place to start our work day! Hola Pedro, a pleasure to see you too. I think we might have some words. Come with me mate." They went to the stuff room, and Mr. Steele closed the door with care.

"You know Pedro; we run a detective agency here, right in this place. We use to have rooms to receive our clients, and rooms to have our work done. But since you started to spend your days working here, it feels like our office disappeared under your rags and paint cans, and we are having trouble even to find a place on the floor to put our feet on. Don't you think you are able to do a better job?"

"Andale amigo!" started to answer Pedro, but Mr. Steele interrupted him immediately.

"In English, please Pedro."

"Okay. Come on, my friend! We are almost finished! Don't be impatient! I promise we will be out of your sight right at the end of next week," answered the man.

"I need you out of my sight on Friday," said Mr. Steele.

"That would not be a problem!" answered Pedro.

"Give me your hand, and we'll have a deal, amigo," said Mr. Steele.

"Of course that would increase our fee on a percentage…"

"A percentage, I see…How much are we talking about, Pedro?" asked the detective.

"Let me see…" and pulling out a calculator from his pocket, the painter started to type while making a gesture as if calculating an investment on the stock market.

"I think a thirty percent would be fine," finally said the contractor.

"Thirty percent?" asked Mr. Steele horrified. "Ok, mate. We have a deal, but I want you out of the office, every room finished and cleaned by Friday afternoon; and Pedro, keep this conversation and our arrangement just between the two of us. I need your mouth shut. The agency will pay the original contract, and I will pay you for your special effort from my own personal account. Nobody else needs to know anything about our deal." They shook hands, and in a minute, Pedro was flying between offices, trying to put the things together to arrive in time to Mr. Steele's pretended schedule.

Mildred, who was working at her desk in the reception area, was speechless. "How did you manage to make him work, chief? I've been fighting with the man the whole week, and I couldn't get even a diligent response from him."

"Ah, Mildred…a man has to know how to manage his own business. Is anything else important that would require my attention here?"

"No chief, I think you can go now. Did you find the contract? I think I left it here on my desk yesterday, but I can't find it right now. Thank God this mess will be finished soon."

"We have the contract, Mildred, thank you."

"When did you come to pick it up? I waited for you yesterday until it was pretty late."

"Hmm, we came here on our way home Mildred. It was very late. I can't remember the hour exactly."

"That explains the security report I got this morning…" answered the secretary triumphantly. She had been guiding him through her labyrinth since her first question, and he'd fell like a dumb.

"What are you talking about, Mildred?" sensing danger ahead of him, he started to play his act then.

"I'm talking about you and Miss Holt here at the office, with every light off, found by a guard in a very suspicious situation…"

"I think this guard was interested in having something with you, Mildred. He came into the office calling your name, and he seemed pretty disappointed that it was me instead of you the one here in the dark."

"Oh, maybe it was Clark! He is always looking at me with those eyes…" She blushed."I think he is in the night turn for the week. We use to talk when the night catches both of us still here…"

"I'm sure those were his intentions, Mildred," he told her showing a bit of doubt over his face." I really have to go. I have to pick up Miss Holt at her place to start our day at Stanhope's. See you later, Mildred."

"See you later, Boss."

On the way to the loft, he was trying to figure out the best way to tell the news to Laura. She had been right last night, and Mildred and half of Century City would be aware of their recent stakeout. If she didn't take the decision quickly about making public their relationship, it would turn out really uncomfortable to confront Mildred's detecting gaze every day.

"Mr. Steele! I thought you said we would meet here at 9:00. It's almost 9:45, we are late…" said Laura worriedly.

"I had a task to resolve at the office before coming here, Laura."

"What kind of task? We are not seeing any client this week, and we have the contract already…Please don't tell me you met Mildred there…"

"I'm sad to inform you, that yes I did. I did meet Mildred at the office. After the way our business is running without having a decent place to work, and after last night's events, I considered prudent to make a stop there to have a picture of the current situation. By the way, I had a talk with Pedro, and he is finishing his job on Friday," he told her.

"How did you manage to do that? Mildred has been following the man for the entire week without a positive result. Please don't tell me the agency will have to pay him more money to finish the job…"

"You know me very well Laura. I always find the best way to get the things that I need from people. The Agency will not pay him more money. I took advantage of one of my many talents, and we had an agreement."

"As I know you very well, I am aware of your many talents to convince people to do things. I'm still worried about the ones I don't approve," she retorted.

"You have your hidden talents too, Laura. Don't blame me for having mines…" he wiggled his eyebrows looking at her.

"Don't think that your talent with words will save you from telling me how you managed things with Mildred at the office."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Laura."

"Of course you know what I am talking about. Does Mildred know or she doesn't?"

"She knows," he answered, but was interrupted by her.

"I knew! I knew she was going to find it!" she hid her face behind her hands.

"But let me finish what I was saying. That was the less bad of the news. I think that by this time, half of Century City knows about our last night little escapade. It seems that the night guard is like a masculine clone of Mildred."

"Oh my God, I can't believe it! What are we going to do?"

"I think the wise thing to do is to have a talk with our secretary. Maybe if we manage things well, we can count on her as our ally, instead of counting her as our enemy, as we talked last night."

"What are you talking about? If we do tell her the truth, we can't hope for her to keep the secret! You know her!" she was desperate.

"We can approach to the matter like a case. We can tell Mildred and ask her to protect our privacy. We can suggest her it will be dangerous if the subject gets public because of our line of work."

"Maybe you are right, and as you said, I am giving more relevance to things than they deserve. We could try with your plan, and see if it works." With that, the subject was closed. They should focus on the case, another complicated task in front of them still to solve.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

They arrived at Stanhope's mansion in the mid-afternoon. The butler took the contract and returned it signed after half an hour. Then, they were ready to meet Lehman at the library. Finally, they would have access to read some of Mr. Stanhope's writes.

"Good Afternoon Mr. Steele, Miss Holt, come with me please," said Lehman. They followed him, and after a few minutes, they were both immersed in their own readings. Right after a few hours, the task was showing some results.

"I think I have something, Mr. Steele." She said

"Maybe I've found something too, Miss Holt."

The suspicion that crossed both minds was that Mr. Stanhope was a lonely man in the present, but in the past, the man could have had a few but intense relationships. Plenty of his poems and scripts were dedicated to lost loves and broken hearts, or that was what the detectives understood after reading a few pages. Several names appeared like relevant ones. They should have to ask him about that.

While they were comparing their notes, Lehman told them that as Mr. Stanhope was at the house, he would like to share lunch with them. It was a good idea because they would have the chance to make a few questions without giving him the uncomfortable feeling of an interrogatory. Food was always an ally to help relax things. It was one of the universal languages.

They came into the magnificent dining room, where the table was settled for the three of them. Mr. Stanhope took his place at the extreme, and Mr. Steele and Miss Holt sat at either side of him. There was a waitress behind every one of them, ready to attend their own dinner. The butler arrived with the food arranged in an elegant silver dish, and offered it to everyone, standing by their left side and waiting for them to serve it. Once they had everything they wanted, Mr. Stanhope began to eat. Mr. Steele and Miss Holt followed him. As formal as things were presented, they would not have the chance of any informality. So, Mr. Steele went straight to the matter.

"We were reading some of your writings, Mr. Stanhope, and I should say we were a little surprised. You told us that you didn't have any siblings or relatives and that you were almost a solitaire. But in your scripts, you mention not only once, but several times, some loved ones. Would you tell us who were you talking about?" asked Mr. Steele.

"Oh, that… Of course, I can tell you. There was a time some years ago, after my brother died, that I decided to try, and change my loneliness existence. I decided to know new people, you know, out of my limited social circle. I was a regular visitor to one art gallery in New York. I went to a cocktail there, and one of the expositors was a modern artist, a lovely woman indeed. I decided to stay in New York for a while, and we started to see each other. We dated for about six months. I never told her everything about my background, about the money. We talked mostly about art, life, feelings. We really appreciated each other. But one day she disappeared. She didn't come to our date, and I never saw her again. It was devastating, as you would guess. I tried to find her, I hired some people to do the work, but they never found her." He made a silence then.

"Did you try to follow her through her artwork?" asked Laura.

"Yes, I did. I found some paintings that looked very alike to hers, but I could never get in touch with the author. Although the pieces were the same style than hers, something was missing in them. They were sort of emotion-empty. Not like the paintings that Rose dreamed."

"Rose, was that her name?" asked Miss Holt.

"Her name was Rose, Rose Gilroy."

The two detectives shared a glance, and after that, they resumed their eating in silence.

After a while, Mr. Steele asked: "Do you mind if we try to investigate her?"

"Do what you need to do Mr. Steele, but bring my volumes back." Mr. Stanhope put his napkin on the table, stood up, and after excusing himself, he left the room, leaving Mr. Steele and Laura finishing their meal alone.

Once they were again at the library, Mr. Steele took the writings, and after a moment he asked Laura: "That was odd, don't you think Laura? A man with his resources not being able to find a woman who was very dear for him…"

"I agree with your thoughts, Mr. Steele. I can't imagine anyone hiding from a resourced man like Mr. Stanhope. Except if that someone was as resourceful as he was," added Laura.

"I can feel you would be thinking correctly, Miss Holt. Maybe Rose Gilroy was as powerful as Mr. Stanhope, and she had the chance to disappear without leaving a trace."

"Which means…?"

"…That we should look for her in different fields, and not only through the art world's population."

"Why don't you call Mildred, and ask her to look for a picture of Rose Gilroy through the New York Art Galleries Catalogue, so we can start searching in different circles then," said Laura.

"Are you still hiding from Mildred, Miss Holt?"

"On the contrary, Mr. Steele; I will not hide from Mildred anymore. I was just going to ask your opinion about making an arrangement to have dinner with her tonight…"

"You never cease to amaze me, Laura. I was only teasing you, just having a little fun because of your refusal of meeting her," he told her almost apologizing.

"If you want to be surprised, just let me finish what I was saying. I was thinking about a reunion but not only with Mildred, but with my mother also, and Frances and Donald too. In that way, we would have to drop the bomb only once. What do you think?"

"That is a bold move, Laura!" he told her.

"I know, but maybe it's time for me to stop with this charade, and to start putting things in its correct place, giving the importance some things and certain people deserves in my life, in our life."

"I'll make the calls, Laura. Do you want to have dinner at home, or we should go to a restaurant?" he asked.

"A homemade dinner would be nice. We are going to announce to your surrogate mother and to my family that their beloved kids are together, Mr. Steele. I think that deserves a private celebration, don't you think?"

"I think you are right Miss Holt. A private celebration with them sounds perfect."

"Rossmore or the loft?" he asked.

"I think we will be more comfortable at Rossmore," said Laura.

"I'll make the calls. But I have a suggestion too... What do you think about starting our own private celebration…"

"I didn't have a doubt you'll have something in mind to celebrate…" said Laura smiling just thinking about the plans he had in mind.

"Keep up your thoughts there, Miss Holt. It's going to be a long night."

"Keep your focus here, Mr. Steele. It's going to be a long day."

"Count on that, Laura; I don't want to give you an excuse to change your mind."

She gave him a smile and returned back to the library.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

They continued with their routines at the mansion along the rest of the day, and after taking enough notes about the writings and a brief reunion with Lehman, they were on their way home.

Mr. Steele was quiet. He was very excited when Laura had told him about having dinner with Mildred and her family. She was finally opening, to show to the world that they were together. But at the same time, he was anxious. Laura had her emotional side under pressure, and the result of that tended to be a finale full of unexpected reactions. Mr. Steele should stay on alert because Laura's emotional side was on alert too. Although at the same time, he would try to appear confident. Laura needed to feel his support, and he was eager to give it to her.

Laura spent the trip in silence, the same as he did. Her mind was racing, and not thinking only about the reunion. She was thinking mostly about her, about her latest decisions. About the agency and how vital had become his presence there. About her personal life and how essential was his presence there too. About her past and how her life had changed as her relationships had invaded all her fronts; but mostly about how her life was going to be after taking this critical step. She was beyond the point of no return.

"What would you like for dinner?" asked Mr. Steele.

"Hmm?" was her vague response.

"What do you want to eat? We have to go for the ingredients before we go home. Do you have a preference for tonight's supper?"

"I'm okay with anything," she told him.

"Well, then I'll try something with pork, plums, and applesauce. Would you feel comfortable with that?" Mr. Steele asked.

She didn't answer. "Laura?"

"I told you I will be ok with anything. Do I have to spell the words for you? She was raising her voice dangerously.

He decided to park the car, and after that, looked at her. "I'm sorry if I am annoying you, Laura. I was only asking an elementary question…"

"And I was giving you a straightforward answer: I will be ok with anything. Why do you feel that I need to be asked several times about the same question? You asked? I answered. It's over."

"Do you think that you'll feel less aggressive once we're at home? Perhaps I should ask you later, or maybe I shouldn't ask at all…"

"I am not aggressive... I'm just trying to figure out how the hell I am going to do to live my life like if nothing were happening, while every little part of my world is turning upside down!"

He looked at her paralyzed. So that was it: she was in a panic. With the intention to slow down a little their chat intensity, he took her hand in his, "Laura, please don't do this… I know we are turning another corner; an important one, by the way. But please tell me that turn isn't turning your life upside down. Please tell me we are going to make the turn together and the things we are going to find are good ones. You are not alone here in this relationship. You know that. Allow me to be by your side tonight; to be by your side along the whole way." He stopped and raised his eyes to look at her. There were only three words left that would fit in his speech with perfection, but she wasn't ready to hear them yet. Not at this very moment, with all this anxiety playing against her; against them.

She remained still, eyes fixed on her knees, her hand still in his. After a painful silence, told him: "I know everything you are telling me is true. I know I like my life the way it is now, with you in it, with us in it. But I can't help to feel what I'm feeling. I'm scared…" she was on the verge of tears.

"Laura, I'm scared too. Commitment makes all different, turns everything real. I'm scared too. But knowing that you are here with me makes the effort worth." He kissed her hand, and in a soft voice told her: "Why don't we try this: let me take you home, to the loft, have some time for yourself, try to slow down a bit, and I'll have everything ready just in time for you and for everyone's arrival."

"Okay," she answered him

"Promise me you will come."

"I promise. I'm not going to let you spend the evening in your condo with Mildred and my annoying family, all by yourself, you know? Particularly when everybody is expecting for the two of us to be there together. We are a team, and we are going to act like that."

"We are a team Laura, but most important, we are together. Let's play together, and it will be an easy hand."

"I`ll be there," she answered smiling.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

Mr. Steele was adding the last touches to the food, while Laura was setting the table. When the bell rang, they shared a brief glance, he came to her, and after giving her a slight kiss, told her: "Let's do it."

"Let's do it," she answered.

He opened the door, and it was Mildred, ready to enjoy a lovely dinner with her kids.

Sometime later, Abigail arrived with Frances and Donald. They were a little surprised to find Mildred there, but nobody said a word about it.

Everyone was in place at the table, when Mr. Steele brought the delicious first course from the kitchen.

"This looks fantastic, Mr. Steele," said Abigail. "You are such a treasure. It's not easy to find a fine man like you, able to find pleasure in ordinary tasks like cooking. I'd imagined you leaving those tasks to others while focusing on more relevant ones."

"I do have my focus in transcendental tasks, Abigail. However, sometimes an ordinary task as a well-cooked dinner can open the door for another kind of unexpected pleasures," He answered her with a smile.

"I don't seem to understand…" said a confused Abigail.

Laura was staring at him livid. What was the man doing? Wasn't enough the amount of anxiety she was suffering, he'd needed to increase the dose? For a brief moment, their eyes met. Abigail, like the rest of the dinners, was still waiting for him to clarify his last statement.

"I have the pleasure to enjoy Laura's family company tonight… It's a special moment for me, and I hope for you too, Abigail. An ordinary task as making dinner, opened the door to have you all here; a real pleasure."

"Oh, of course, Mr. Steele, it's a real pleasure for us too," answered a relieved Abigail.

Laura restarted to breathe again.

After that, they went through the first course chatting and having a good time. When the main dish arrived, Laura began to feel the critical moment closer. She was beyond than nervous then, and the food didn't seem like a good option in her state. Mr. Steele was offering delicacies to everyone when Laura excused herself and walked to the kitchen. She pretended to look for something in the cabinets, but the real reason for her escape was that she needed some air to breathe, out of her family's eyes.

Everybody remained at the table, but Mildred's instincts felt that something big was on the way to happen. She excused herself too and went to the kitchen following Laura's path. "Are you all right, Miss Holt?" she asked.

"I'm all right, Mildred. I just needed some air. The antibiotics are making me more sensitive over some sort of things," answered Miss Holt.

"I see. Don't panic, honey. I know what's happening here tonight," said the secretary.

"You do?" asked an astonished Laura.

"Well, Miss Holt. We've known each other for some time now. The only thing that can make you as nervous as you are this evening is your family. And as for how things are going at the office, I think I can guess what it's going to happen before long at this table."

"You know…" said a surrendered but relieved Laura.

"That you two are together? Of course, I know, honey. I'm not a baby, you know… I work with you two at the same office, and I'm not blind," said Mildred.

"Is it that obvious? I supposed we were hiding it respectably."

"Come on honey! You can hide it from the rest of the world maybe, but not from me. I've known for some time. And I'm very happy for you two! I have to confess that I would have loved you telling me. But putting the clues together had had its magic too. We are kind of detectives after all…"

"Well, it's nice to feel somebody else on our side…" said Laura with relief.

"I'm always on your side, Miss Holt. Try to remember that. We are on the same team. Let's go back to the table. Everything is going to be okay."

"You are right. Let's go back, Mildred. And… Thank you," said a grateful Laura.

"You're welcome, honey."

The two ladies returned to the dining room.

"Are you going to try with some of the food, Laura? It tastes as it looks, trust me," said Mr. Steele looking at her.

"Mm, I just can't decide what to begin with…" she said looking through all the delicacies. She told him with her eyes that everything was fine and that she was confident about the conversation that will follow.

Everything happened as planned. Mildred was thrilled with the news, and Abigail almost fainted with joy.

"I'm delighted you have found my daughter, Mr. Steele. She is a fortunate woman. Laura had always been the rebel one, but it looks like you have found the way to tame her," said a happy Abigail.

"Perhaps I would have to clarify something to you, Mrs. Holt. I didn't find Laura, actually. She found me. I was the one in need to be found," he stopped then, and with his eyes glued to Laura's he followed, "I'm the lucky one, and I would never dare to tame her. I love her because of the way she is."

Laura was utterly touched while listening to his words, especially to one of them. Frances noticed it and decided to cover her little sister for a while from their mother's onslaughts. She changed the subject subtly, and after a while, both sisters, with Mildred's additional help, were picking up the dessert in the kitchen, Frances found the moment to give Laura a tender embrace. "I'm very happy for you, Laura. It's not good to spend your life alone. I know you will make everything fit. I know you can do it. Just take one step at the time, and allow yourself to enjoy the moment. "

"Thank you, Frances. I'm trying exactly to do that. It looks like we are not so different after all…"

"We are not different, Laura. We have different timing. That's all." That was everything Frances and Laura would share in front of Mildred. Laura's sister spent the rest of the dinner trying to have one private moment with her sibling, while Laura succeeded in avoiding it.

The rest of the evening run successfully after everyone relaxed. Laura and Mr. Steele's eyes met with each other's several times along the dessert. At one point, he took her hand in his and put them on the table. Laura was happily surprised that it didn't feel wrong. No more hiding for them in the future.

"I really like the wine you chose to complement the food, Mr. Steele," said Abigail. She looked at Laura then. "I noticed you avoided drinking wine along the whole dinner, Laura dear. Is there any reason in particular?" she asked her daughter, adding to the question a suspicious touch.

"Actually, there is a particular reason, mother," she delayed her answer for a while, having another sip of her water and giving a mischievous glare to Mr. Steele. The whole table held their breath with suspense. "I'm under antibiotics treatment, and I can't have alcohol in the meantime."

"Pity, dear, the wine goes divinely with everything," answered Abigail.

"Believe me mother, I would be thrilled with a glass of wine in my hands at this very moment," said Laura, drinking another sip of water with resignation.

Mildred smiled to Mr. Steele, who smiled back at her in return.

Dinner continued, and it was well after dessert when Frances and Donald said their goodbyes adducing the next day was a working one. Abigail tried to stay for a little while but was quickly dragged by her oldest daughter and her husband to leave with them. Laura had had more than enough from Abigail in one evening, her sister thought.

After that, Laura and Mildred carried everything to the kitchen, and then Mr. Steele offered them a cognac. Laura refused the drink, and it was then when the secretary began to feel like a third wheel. She decided at that moment that her kids would welcome her departure, and they said their goodbyes.

Laura and Mr. Steele were in front of the fireplace, enjoying the peace of the moment after a stressful long day followed by a stressful but finally joyful, long night.

"Thank you for a lovely dinner. Everything was fantastic. Even my family behavior was respectable," Laura told him.

"I'm pleased you enjoyed it, Laura. Everything happened as we expected it." He approached her then. "Now that the ordinary task as a well-cooked dinner is over, don't you think it's time to open the door for another kind of pleasures?" he asked.

"Maybe we could start right now with just an incentive," said Laura working his shirt buttons slowly.

"Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me?"

"You look older than Ben Braddock, Mr. Steele," Laura answered sensually. "Besides, I'm not trying… I'm counting on it…"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

Friday arrived with everything returning to normal at the office. Pedro was leaving, Mildred was using her last opportunities to play bossy with him, and Miss Holt and Mr. Steele were in their respective offices, trying to catch up after a week out of the office. It was then when Lehman arrived unexpectedly at the agency.

"Good morning sir. What can I do for you?" Mildred asked diligently.

"Good morning. I need to see Mr. Steele, please," answered Lehman.

"Do you have an appointment, Mr. …." asked the secretary.

"Lehman. I work for Mr. Stanhope. I have some information about the case that I want to share with Mr. Steele."

"Have a seat, please," told him the secretary. She buzzed Mr. Steele with the news. There is a man named Lehman here to see you, Boss."

"Give me five minutes and send him in, Mildred" answered Mr. Steele.

The detective went to Laura's office, and after a brief knock, he opened the connecting door. She was, as always, immersed in paperwork. And she seemed to be enjoying it, as always. "Are you busy, Laura? Lehman is here, and he says that he has some information about the case he wants to share with us."

"It must be important if he came here." She closed the file. "Ok, paperwork can wait," said Miss Holt and stood up from her chair.

"Paperwork can wait… I've dreamed with those words coming out from your mouth so many times, Miss Holt… But the following part in my dream didn't include a client as a third wheel," said a disappointed Mr. Steele. He grabbed her by her waist, not allowing her to get out of his reach too soon.

"As I remember, the paperwork did wait today. If I recall well, we did arrive here late this morning because you wanted the two of us fulfilling one of your dreams before breakfast, Mr. Steele…"

"But I still have a lot of unfulfilled dreams yet, Miss Holt…"

"Let's meet Lehman and see what does he needs for now, and we can talk about your unfulfilled dreams later, out of company time, Mr. Steele."

"But we are still in the morning, Laura. How do you plan to entertain me until tonight?"

"Paperwork?" suggested Laura.

"Paperwork…I can't find the seductive meaning of the word yet…" he answered.

"I wasn't talking about a seductive meaning, Mr. Steele." She opened the door to his office then, not giving him the chance to refuse her.

When they returned to his office, Lehman was waiting for them, "Good morning Miss Holt, Mr. Steele."

"Good morning Mr. Lehman," answered Mr. Steele, "Our secretary told us you have something important to share with us about the case?"

"Yes. I wanted to talk to you privately, out of the mansion."

Miss Holt and Mr. Steele took their respective usual places, and after Mr. Lehman sat down, he began to speak. "I presume Mr. Stanhope told you he had a relationship with a woman some years ago…"

"Yes, he told us something about that," answered Laura.

"Well, he looked for the woman for some time after she disappeared. But the real thing is that he got depressed after she left him. He hired some detectives to follow her tracks, but they didn't find anything. For some time…"

"For some time?" asked Mr. Steele.

"They found the woman at last, but she refused to see Mr. Stanhope again. She told the detectives that she wasn't in love with him and that he'd been interested in her only in that way. She didn't want to hurt him, so, as he was fighting against depression at the time, we decided not to tell him the whole thing. We skipped a part on purpose," ended Mr. Lehman.

"Do you think that fact can be related with the stolen manuscripts?" asked Laura.

"I don't know."

"Mr. Stanhope told us that the manuscripts disappeared on July 13th. Why did he wait that long time to hire someone to look for them? He said that he writes almost every day." asked Miss Holt.

"Because he supposed that the thief would ask for a ransom, and that was going to be the end of the issue. But as time passed, and we didn't receive any note or call, he decided to hire you."

"Does Mr. Stanhope have an agenda? It would be useful to peer up about some of his activities around the date you are mentioning," asked Mr. Steele.

"Yes, he does. I'm in charge of it. I'll show it to you at the mansion. Are you coming today?"

"We'll call you later if we have the chance, Mr. Lehman. If not, we'll be there on Monday," answered Mr. Steele, standing up to shake hands, finishing the meeting.

The man left the detectives reflecting on the previous conversation.

"What do you think about Lehman's information?" asked Mr. Steele.

"I can believe him. After sharing only two short encounters with Mr. Stanhope, I can't adventure myself in deep conclusions about his persona. But what Lehman told us seems reasonable. If the man was fighting against depression, knowing that the woman he was in love with didn't love him back wasn't going to be of any help," answered Laura.

"But, don't you think that the information could have been manipulated by anyone with second interests?" asked Mr. Steele.

"What do you mean with second interests; second interests as what?"

"Laura, I'm surprised! Mr. Stanhope is a solitaire millionaire. He has a will, for sure. And maybe in that will there's someone interested in not sharing the fortune with a wife," he accentuated the last word.

"Hmm, maybe you are right. But that person should be very close to Mr. Stanhope, to have access to the manuscripts, as same as to the will's contain," added Miss Holt.

"What do you think about putting aside paperwork for the rest of the day, and visiting Lehman?" asked a hopeful Mr. Steele.

"I don't see why we should have to put aside paperwork, Mr. Steele. As a matter of fact, I am thinking more in the line of you trying to find the sensual side of paperwork here at the office, while I make a visit to Lehman. I think this case can have a romantic twirl, and we, women, have a special talent to manage this kind of situations. Don't you think?" answered Laura, returning to her office to grab her purse and her fedora on her way out.

"Laura! You are not going to leave me alone in the office, with all this… paperwork while you are in the middle of the action. We are a team, remember?" answered a desperate Mr. Steele, following her just a step behind.

She stopped behind her desk and looking at him said, "Ok, right as you are putting it, it doesn't sound fair. What do you suggest? Include paperwork in your plan…"

"Let me see…What if we follow with our current tasks and after a refreshing lunch, we go straight to Stanhope's to meet Lehman together?" he said triumphantly.

"Follow our current tasks…" said Laura."I know I was working in my office until Lehman's visit interrupted me. Exactly, what were you doing when Lehman arrived, Mr. Steele?"

"Oh, well, I was getting ready to start my workday…"

"I knew we would agree, after all, Mr. Steele. Seeing you are certainly ready, just start your hard work day. Follow your current task doing paperwork. I'll be back as soon as possible. Ask Mildred about anything you need," she said giving him a last look from the door. "You know she is always eager to help you with the hard duty you get involved in…" with that she closed the door behind her, leaving there a disappointed Mr. Steele regretting himself for allowing her to turn upside down the whole conversation.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

Miss Holt was waiting for Mr. Lehman at the library when suddenly, something caught her attention. Although Mr. Stanhope was a very private man, there was a table in the room, with a lot of pictures showing him in different places with different people. In almost every photo he was dressed in formal attire, but there were a few with him wearing sport-clothes. He wasn't alone in those pictures. He had a recurrent companion there. She was giving a closer look at the photos when Mr. Lehman arrived.

"Miss Holt, I've brought the agenda. If you want to take a look…"

"Thank you. It won't take long,"

She turned the pages until she found July 13th. She checked two weeks previous to that date, and then she took a look about the following days until the end. There wasn't anything different, anything calling her attention. The agenda reflected a man clearly attached to routines, special events added given his social status, but full of ordinary activities, like the low profile man he was. A lot of charity events, reunions, and medical appointments. That was all. She wrote some notes about the names in there, some particular dates, and returned the agenda back to Lehman.

"I think I have everything I need." She said to the assistant.

"Anything else, you can ask Miss Holt. I'll be eager to help you," said Lehman.

They shook hands and Laura left. She had in mind another place to check. But after abandoning Mr. Steele, supposedly fighting against paperwork, she decided to free him from his torture and pick him up to make the next visit together, after taking him to lunch. He did endure enough punishment for one day.

She arrived at the agency and found Mildred at her desk. "I'm back, Mildred. Any news?"

"Hello, Miss Holt. Nothing happened since you left this morning."

"How did Mr. Steele resolve his fight against paperwork?" she asked showing a wicked smile.

"I didn't know he was doing paperwork, Miss Holt. He left the office about ten minutes ago," said the secretary.

"He left?" She was… at least disappointed… "I can't ask him to help me with paperwork even one time that he runs away from the office at the first chance…"

"But he gave me all the files already signed Miss Holt. I thought you've finished the paperwork and he had just to sign them," said Mildred, trying to save him from Laura.

"He did all the paperwork and then left?" she asked suddenly astonished.

"It seems he did," answered the secretary. "I think he is using the limo. Maybe you can call him there."

"That man…" she went straight to her office and picked up the phone, "Mr. Steele, why are you out of the office? I left you here for two hours, and you took the first chance to run away?"

"Ahh, Miss Holt. I see you've finished your morning task. I've finished mine, too. In fact, I had an interesting conversation while filling all those boring reports."

"What are you talking about?" she asked turning down a bit her anger and giving place to her curiosity to take control.

"Ah, Miss Holt, what would you say if we share our discoveries after a very hard-working morning over a deserved lunch?" he knew he had aroused her curiosity, and it was his chance to spend the rest of the day with her.

"Ok. You win. Where do we meet?"

"I'll pick you up, Miss Holt. We are not so far from the office yet. Be ready in ten minutes."

The waiter was standing beside them, ready to take their orders.

"Allow me, Laura." Mr. Steele took the menu from Laura's hands and spoke to the man. "We`ll take the Chicken Caesar's Salad, and sparkling water for the two of us."

"Having a light supper, are we?" asked a suspicious Miss Holt.

"Believe me, Laura, after the news we are going to share, you'll be thankful for my choice of light food."

They were starting to eat their salads, when Mr. Steele looked seriously at Laura and told her, "Anesthesia."

"What do you mean with anesthesia?" asked Laura rolling her eyes.

"Anesthesia. That would be our keyword to close the case, Miss Holt," he answered.

"How could it be our keyword?"

"By all means, Laura… Where is your detective instinct?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Laura entirely confused.

"Laughing Gas, Charlie Chaplin, 1914," quoted Steele.

"Laughing Gas? Are you saying that our case would be solved following the plot of a Charlie Chaplin movie? Mr. Steele, I think you've had an overdose of paperwork…Is this your revenge against me for leaving you behind at the office this morning? Whatever possessed me to do that?" Laura ended her statement rolling her eyes.

"I'm talking seriously, Miss Holt. I was at the office, trying to concentrate on my job, a truly boring task I might add, when a picture from the wall of fame caught my attention; the one with the Chaplin hat. Then I remembered that movie, the one when Charlie pretends to be a dentist though he is only his assistant. When a patient can't stop laughing waking up from the anesthesia, Charlie knocks him out with a club…"

"So, what? As I remember, I was the one with a dentist appointment and an anesthesia dose this week. And I assure you I didn't get out of the anesthesia with a laugh attack, neither with the doctor knocking me out with a club…"

"I wasn't talking about you, Laura. I was…"

Then Laura interrupted him, "Are you thinking that Stanhope could have been drugged with an anesthesia overdose and then the thief took the key, stole the manuscripts, and returned the key without him knowing anything about it? Hmm, It could be a possibility…Wait, how do you know he was under a dentist treatment?" asked a curious Laura, trying to find the gap in his idea.

"Remember Mr. Stanhope told us the writings theft was discovered when they returned from an appointment? I called Lehman right after you left the mansion and he told me it was a dentist appointment."

"I suppose you have the necessary information about the dentist," she told him.

"Fred is waiting for us in the limo, ready to take us there…" he answered

"You were right choosing a light food, Mr. Steele."

"Sometimes paperwork gets me inspired, Miss Holt," he smiled proudly.

"Remind me to put that in practice more frequently, Mr. Steele," she answered him smiling back.

They arrived at Mr. Stanhope dentist around 3pm.

"Excuse me, we need to talk to Dr. Williams," asked Laura to the receptionist.

"Do you have an appointment?" she answered.

"No, it's not a medical appointment. It's a private matter," answered Laura. "My name is Laura Holt."

"I'm afraid you are not going to be able to talk to him. He is in surgery at the hospital, and he is not going to return here until Monday," said the woman.

Noticing that Laura wasn't going to have luck, Mr. Steele decided to take control over the conversation, "In that case Lillian, would you set us an appointment for Monday? He asked her sending a spark of his charm, while Laura rolled her eyes.

"Monday 10 am would be fine?" Asked the woman, suddenly enchanted by a pair of blue eyes.

"It will be perfect, thank you," he answered her.

"I hate to say it, but have you noticed that the combination of your eyes and your charm always comes handy to enchant any secretary crossing our path? Don't you dare use them while I'm not beside you. Is that clear, Mr. Steele?"

"Crystal clear, Miss Holt," He pulled her by his side, kissing her on the cheek.

Fred drove them back to the office, where Laura picked up the Rabbit to go home. Their week wasn't finished yet. They had a cocktail that night, one of the commitments Mr. Steele was always eager to attend, enhanced with the pleasure of Laura's company beside him. She wasn't a big fan of this sort of event, but the chance to be wearing him in a place with all the feminine eyes on him, but his eyes only for her… It was the best reward she could ask for such a tedious effort.

The event was filled with personalities. They met politicians, old clients, and a lot of people eager to be introduced to the famous detective Remington Steele.

They were talking with a group of businessmen when something caught Laura's eyes. "Have you seen that?" she whispered to Mr. Steele.

"Yes, I've seen them. I've never guessed the two of them would be here tonight," answered Mr. Steele.

"I'm not totally surprised. This morning, when I was waiting for Lehman at the library, I found some pictures of the two of them on a yacht. It seems that Lehman is beside Mr. Stanhope 24 hours a day, 7 days a week," told him Laura with sarcasm.

"I guess the pay must be tempting…" answered Mr. Steele with another dose of sarcasm himself.

The rest of the evening ran without surprises. On their way back from the cocktail, they were both exhausted. They shared only a few words along the whole trip.

Once at Rossmore, Mr. Steele suggested a movie, and the night ended with the two of them almost asleep in front of the TV.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

Monday morning found the Remington Steele Agency staff working in overdrive. Mildred was finishing the order in the place, while Laura and Mr. Steele were busy at an early reunion with a possible new client. They'd arrived at the office at 8 o'clock, and one hour later they were ready to leave to their dentist appointment.

They met Dr. Williams at his office.

"Since when is Mr. Stanhope your patient, Dr. Williams?" asked Mr. Steele.

"Let me see his file…I think I'm his dentist since 1971," answered the dentist.

"Did he receive a treatment recently?" asked Mr. Steele.

Dr. Williams looked through the file, and answered, "He is under treatment since May this year. We are in the middle of a long-term procedure."

Laura decided a more accurate question then, "Did he have an appointment on July 13th?"

The dentist checked his files and answer, "Yes, he did. He had a root canal procedure made that day. He had appointments on July 6th and on July 20th as well."

"Have you made any changes in your staff recently?" asked Mr. Steele.

"The only change is a temporary replacement for my assistant. She'd had a baby and will be back by February. Margot is replacing her for that period." answered the doctor.

"Do you mind if we check her file?" asked Laura.

"I don't mind at all, Miss Holt." He went to the cabinet and returned with the file. Laura took it from his hands.

"About Mr. Stanhope's treatment that day, did he receive anesthesia?" asked Mr. Steele.

"Of course he did. Every patient receives anesthesia while having a root canal treatment."

"Was the new nurse assisting you that day?" asked Laura.

"I think she was. I have only one nurse working with me, and Margot should have been helping me that day," said the dentist.

Laura took note of the relevant information in the file and returned it to Dr. Williams. "Thank you, Doctor. I think your information will be helpful."

They shook hands and left.

Once at the limo, Mr. Steele asked Miss Holt, "What did you find in those files, Laura? You seemed pretty focused on the information there."

"I found a name that popped up in our previous interrogations, Mr. Steele." She looked at him, "Collière, Mr. Steele. Margot's last name is the same that the sôus chef at the mansion."

"Let's go to the agency and put Mildred under pressure for a while. Now that Pedro is out of the picture, and our mysterious love life has been revealed, I think our Miss Krebs would appreciate some mystery adding some speed to her day," said Mr. Steele.

Mildred ran her search efficiently, as always. Mr. Steele and Miss Holt were in his office, exchanging opinions about different approaches to solve the case when the secretary arrived with her results. She gave Laura the papers, and then poured her bosses another round of coffee.

"Just as I thought," said Laura to Mr. Steele, giving him one of her particular triumphant gazes. "Our sôus chef, Paul Collière, is Margot's uncle. We have our start clue to follow, Mr. Steele. Now we have to discover the motive and how did they steal the volumes."

"I told you, Laura. It wasn't real to have everyone at the mansion happily working. The only thing that makes me uncomfortable is the sôus chef involved."

Laura looked at him.

"Remember the last time I had an issue with a cook, I had to run away through a window."

"We won't let that happen again, Mr. Steele. I like your lovely persona whole, not sliced. Besides, the girl you were dating that stressful evening didn't like to protect you as I do."

He stood up from his chair, and approached her, "The girl I was dating that night didn't do anything like you, Miss Holt…"

"You really mean that, do you?"

"Let me have the chance to refresh my memory…" he tasted her lips softly.

"Mmm, I can barely remember. Let me have another try…"

Noticing that they were slipping into new territories, different than work, she said, "Ok, let's try to focus again in our case, Mr. Steele. How would you follow our current investigation avoiding a repetition of your running away scene?"

He let her go and answered, "Not giving anybody the chance to be near a knife while making the questions, Miss Holt."

"I guess we can do that." She answered. "We'll follow your advice, Mr. Steele. We'll try our next move far from the kitchen."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13:

They were in the limo on their way to the mansion, when Laura asked him, "How do you think they stole the volumes?"

"The first thought that comes to mind is that it was done in three parts: first, Margot having the chance to get the key from Mr. Stanhope while he was under the anesthesia effect. Second: taking a copy from the key, she would be able to give it to her uncle later. And third, he would have the time to act alone at the mansion, in Mr. Stanhope's following dentist appointment," he answered.

"The fact that Margot was aware of Mr. Stanhope's dentist appointments made it easier. She could let her uncle steal the volumes at the perfect time," added Laura. "All right, we have the way they did it. But why did they do it?"

"Maybe we could try to answer that question with our friend Lehman's help," suggested Mr. Steele.

They butler escorted them to the library, and they waited there for Mr. Stanhope's personal assistant.

"Mr. Steele, Miss Holt, how can I help you?"

"We have found the possible author of the theft. But we can't find enough reasons to set his motives," said Mr. Steele.

"And why do you think I could help you?" asked Lehman.

"Because our suspect works here at the mansion," answered Miss Holt.

"I see. Who is your suspect, Mr. Steele?"

"Paul Collière, the sôus chef. Do you know him well?" asked Laura.

"I know him as well as I know everyone working at the mansion. I have a good opinion of him," Lehman told them. "I can't believe he could be the guilty one…"

"Well, it seems that Paul Collière is Margot Collière's uncle," explained Laura.

"Who is Margot Collière?" asked Lehman.

"She is Dr. Williams' nurse," answered Mr. Steele

"I never saw her. I always wait for Mr. Stanhope at the reception area while is in one of his appointments. She must work inside with the dentist," he said.

"We suspect that while Mr. Stanhope was under the anesthesia effect, the nurse took his keys, made a print mold of them, and then returned them to its place before Mr. Stanhope woke up," said Mr. Steele.

"And then, she gave the keys to her uncle, and he stole the volumes when Mr. Stanhope was at his next dentist appointment," added Miss Holt.

"Do you know if Collière is under any kind of personal pressure, in need of money?" asked Mr. Steele.

"Now that you mention it, he had some trouble with gambling, about five years ago. Mr. Stanhope helped him with his debts, and he agreed to be helped to leave gambling," answered Lehman.

"Maybe he couldn't leave it at all, and he was embarrassed to ask again a favor to Mr. Stanhope," said Mr. Steele.

"Hmm, it's a possibility. Do you want to talk to him, Mr. Steele.?"

"If you don't mind…" answered Laura.

Lehman went to find the sôus chef. He arrived back with Collière five minutes later.

"Mr. Lehman told me you want to talk with me. What do you need? Collière asked.

"It looks like we have a problem here," said Mr. Steele. "There are some of Mr. Stanhope's personal items that have disappeared as you already know. We have made an investigation, and it appears that you would have something to do with the facts."

"What? I don't know what you are talking about. I appreciate Mr. Stanhope very much. He had been a great person to me. He even helped me when I was in trouble, and never asked for anything in return. I would never try to do anything wrong against him!" said the man.

"Aren't you Margot Collière's uncle?" asked Laura.

"Yes, I am. But I don't know what that has to do with the trouble you are talking about," Collière answered. "I haven't seen Margot since my sister died, four years ago. We don't have a close relationship."

"Can you prove that?" asked Laura.

"Of course I can prove that. Ask Margot. She will give you the same answer," said Collière.

"I suppose she would give us the same answer because she is supposed to be your allied, Mr. Collière," Laura told him.

"But I can prove I haven't seen her for that period, detective. Ask her to make a description of myself. As you would see, I have a significant scare in my left hand. I'd made it about three years ago. Ask her about it. She would not be able to answer you," he said.

The detectives gave a detailed look to Mr. Collière's hand. A part of his index finger was lost. It was very noticeable.

"Ok, we are going to ask her," said Mr. Steele.

"There is another thing. I never leave the kitchen to take strolls through the mansion. You can ask everybody working at the kitchen…"

"Stay close Collière," Mr. Steele told him.

"I'm going to be here, working as always. Don't worry, Mr. Steele."

Mr. Collière had been very convincing to the detectives. They decided to check on what the sôus chef had told them, visiting Margot at her job.

"Hello Margot, Laura Holt, my associate Remington Steele," Laura said. "We are private investigators working in a case for Mr. Stanhope. We need to ask you some questions."

"Sure, what do you need to know?" answered the nurse.

"It seems that Mr. Stanhope has a problem with your uncle. Are you in touch with him?" asked Mr. Steele.

"Well, we haven't been in touch for some time. I can't remember exactly…" answered Margot. "Why are you asking?"

"Do you know anything about a personal accident he was involved?" asked Laura.

"No, I don't know anything about an accident. Is he all right?"

"He is all right. We are here because of a different matter, Margot," said Mr. Steele.

"Some of Mr. Stanhope's personal stuff disappeared. It happened one day when he was here at a dentist appointment. As you are related with some of the mansion's staff, you two are our most important suspects at the moment," added Miss Holt.

"What? I don't know what you are talking about! How would I be related?" she asked.

"Well," said Mr. Steele. "You could have taken a copy of Mr. Stanhope's keys when he was under the anesthesia effect, and then given it to your uncle to steal the object," suggested Mr. Steele.

"Oh, no. Wait! I haven't seen my uncle for a long time. Perhaps for about four years. You can't accuse me of doing a thing like that. You don't have any proves!"

"Maybe you are right, and we don't have any proves yet. But we'll find them, Margot," said Laura, and after that, they left the place.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14:

It had been a long day, and both detectives were in the mood for a relaxing dinner. Fred dropped them at the office, and they followed their trip with the Rabbit. The loft was their final destination.

They were going to have a delicious dish of pasta perfectly combined with an Italian Chianti. Mr. Steele was pouring them some wine, while Laura was checking their last advances on the case.

"Did you find anything else, Laura?"

"No, I didn't. Maybe I could leave that for later," answered Miss Holt.

"Good thought. Dinner is almost ready."

They ate the fettuccini Alfredo with gusto, and after that, Mr. Steele took care of the dishes. Laura left him finishing his task alone; to go ahead with her previously planned idea. She decided some music would be welcomed. She'd missed dancing with him. They used to indulge themselves with more dancing when they were in the middle of their confused relationship. Dancing was an unspoken truce for both of them; a peaceful time to enjoy each other sensual proximity without the caution the absence of music would add. Since they had crossed the line, it was less usual to spend part of their evenings dancing. Laura was ready to change that.

"Would you dance with me, Mr. Steele?" she asked.

"You know I love to dance with you, Laura. Always," he answered.

They started to move slowly, breathing the romance surrounding them. Laura leaned her cheek on his shoulders, and he put his chin over her head. Hands around their backs, they were moving very slowly, almost remaining at the same place. They were deeply entranced by the glorious sensation when she told him, "It feels perfect, alone, no interruptions, I love it."

"I liked to dance with you from the first time, Laura. Do you remember our first dance?"

"Mm, vaguely…I wasn't able to pay enough attention to the speech. I was invaded by a mix of stupor and rage at the moment," she answered him smiling coyly at the reminder.

"I remember vividly every word," he stopped then and kissed her forehead, "I told you that I didn't plan on assuming Remington Steele's identity; that I was after something entirely different. I think I was cheating on my own self. I thought I was after a blue jewel at that moment and I was ready to leave after the project went down. But then, a need I couldn't elude caught me to stay, or someone, expressing myself in more accurate words: the brave, intelligent and beautiful Laura Holt. I guess I know it now; it was from the first moment I saw you that I was ready to stay in one place for the first time in my life. I'm falling in love with you again every day since the first day, Laura."

Her head slowly left his shoulder. She remembered then his words to Abigail some days ago. With her eyes fixed in his blue ones, she told him, "I know." Then she smiled a sweet smile full of the joy that only love can draw, "I love you too." She stared at him, waiting for his lips to touch hers. Once they met, they shared the highest intensity they'd have guessed through all these years of waiting. After some time that lasted like a brief eternity, they followed with their dance…


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15:

The next day started as always, almost; because that morning, the detectives were both unconvinced to finish their early encounter. The delay was justified entirely this time by the supposed real boss, and the real but not supposed one.

Laura arrived at the office late, and Mildred gave her a funny worried look. "As things were evolving, I supposed you were the one trying to convince him to arrive at a respectable hour, Miss Holt. But I see he had an ace under his sleeve…"

"Good morning to you too, Mildred!" told her Laura, taking the mail from the secretary's desk. "Straight to business, please. Anything new?" she asked.

"No news, Miss Holt. How did things go with the Collières?"

"Well, it seems that they haven't seen each other since a long time ago, which leave us without a big part of the case resolved, Mildred." Laura grabbed the mail in her hands and walked to her office.

After a half an hour, Mr. Steele opened the agency doors. "Morning, morning, morning," he said.

"Good morning chief, or should I say: good afternoon…You are pretty late today. I'm starting to think that I should change my check-in time, and start my day playing some kind of sport by myself… It's so boring to be here alone all morning…"

"By all means Mildred, seriously? I knew that we were going to agree about the disgusting schedule Miss Holt has settled for the agency staff at some point. Perhaps we could suggest her to delay the agency opening schedule more in the line of… afternoon hours..."

"I don't think that would be a good idea, Mr. Steele," answered Laura coming from her office. She left some files over Mildred's desk, "Just be aware that if we delay the check-in time, we should have to delay the check-out either. No more fun after work, Mr. Steele…"

"Forgot what I said, Mildred…" he turned and continued on his way to his office.

"Sure chief…"

Sometime later, the detectives were at his office trying to figure out who could be involved in the robbery, if the Collières weren't. They started a review about the facts already discovered, the most important ones being reviewed again for an umpteenth time.

"Let's start at the beginning," said Laura. "Stanhope's manuscripts were stolen on July 13th. His most private feelings were written in those papers. The name Rose Gilroy popped up. They'd started a relationship, but she wasn't eager to follow it. Mr. Stanhope got into a depression. Some detectives found Rose, but she didn't want to see him again…" he stood up and interrupted her then.

"How deep was Mr. Stanhope affected by that depression, Laura? Was he in such a dreadful state to be in seclusion at home and needing a nurse to take care of him?" asked her Mr. Steele. He was pacing around the whole office by then.

She looked at him with that known look, telling him that he had opened the secret door. "Why do I suspect that if there was a nurse, her name was Margot? If she'd been working at the mansion, she would know everybody working there! Remember that the staff had been the same for a long time."

"But who was her accomplice? If Paul Collière is not involved, who else would be interested in Stanhope writings, and at the same time, having the possibility to steal them?" asked Mr. Steele. At that point, he was moving fast with all around the place.

"Mr. Steele, would you stop pacing?" asked Laura, starting to feel herself a little dizzy. "We will have our sports session later in the evening, I promise. Just focus on the case now and stop moving, please."

"I knew the first day I saw you, you'd have the ability to make myself a real sportsman, Miss Holt."

She rolled her eyes and sat on his desk. "Where were we?" She asked.

"You were guessing who was with the real possibility to steal the writings…" He said. Then, just at this very moment, they looked at each other, and at the same time said: "Lehman!"

They went to the mansion driving the Rabbit, Laura behind the wheel. It was not the safest way to go, but it was indeed the fastest. They went directly to the stables, where they were supposed to meet Mr. Stanhope in a secret meeting, as Mildred had suggested him to wait there for the detectives. It was the safest way to alert him without arousing suspicions from Lehman. Once there, the detectives shared with him their previous deductions.

"Was Margot Collière your personal nurse when you suffered depression, Mr. Stanhope?" asked Laura.

"Yes, she was. She is our sôus chef niece. He recommended her," said Stanhope.

"We think that she stole your manuscript with someone else's help. Someone very close to you," said Miss Holt.

"I can't believe what you are implying, Miss Holt," said an incredulous Mr. Stanhope. "She was such a lovely lady…And who do you think would be her accomplice?"

Mr. Steele took the hint then, "We suspect her accomplice is Lehman, Mr. Stanhope."

The man closed his eyes, and his face showed how painful was the discovery for him. "How can that be? Are you sure?" he asked.

"We are not sure yet. Lehman and Miss Collière met at the time you were under a depression treatment. We suspect that Miss Collière took your keys from you when you were under the anesthesia effect on your dentist appointment. She made a mold, a copy of your drawer key, and gave it to Lehman. He had all the time to steal your manuscripts while he was at the house. Even with you there too. He knew all your movements in advance, Mr. Stanhope," said Mr. Steele.

"Why do you think he would need to do that?" asked Stanhope.

"You'll have to help us to find an answer for that question, Mr. Stanhope," said Laura.

"How can I help you?"

"We need to know if Lehman had access to your will," told him, Mr. Steele.

"No, he hadn't. He is in my will as one of the heirs, but he doesn't know it. The document it's safe at my attorney's office."

"Well, that gives him a motive. He stole the writings just in case, to have something juicy to sell to the highest bidder..."

"I thought he was different…I appreciate him very much… To be in my position, Mr. Steele, is hard. Everybody stays beside you not because of you, but giving importance to what they could take from you…" said a sad Mr. Stanhope.

"It seems he wasn't different after all," said Miss Holt.

"Yes, it seems he wasn't. Let's go to talk with Lehman," Said Stanhope.

After a brief but ugly discussion, Lehman confessed he had the writings and that he'd stolen them with Margot's help. Mr. Stanhope assured him he wasn't going to throw them to the authorities if the stolen things were returned. But of course, he was not going to keep his job. Lehman agreed and brought the hidden volumes from its secret place at the library, between the less consulted books. He had never taken them outside the room, although he was the only one knowing that they were still there.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16:

They returned back to the office, where Mildred was in the middle of a conversation with a specific security guard.

"Oh, hello Mr. Steele, Miss Holt. I was sure you two weren't going to be back at the office until tomorrow. There's nothing else here for you today." said the secretary.

"On the contrary, Mildred… We have a lot of things to do yet. The day isn't over, and the agency doors are still open. Why do you think we are known as the best detective's agency of LA, Miss Krebs?" said Mr. Steele.

"On the other hand, we were talking this morning about continuing with our current schedule, which leaves us…" said Miss Holt, "I think you can call it a day, Mildred. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow, kids. Don't worry, I'll lock the door on my way out," told them the secretary, giving a mischievous glare to her companion.

The detectives walked then to his office, leaving the secretary and her friend alone in the reception area. Once inside, Laura told Mr. Steele, "Did you recognize Mildred's friend, Mr. Steele?"

"Yes, Laura. It was our well known night guard. I noticed you could stand in front of him without getting embarrassed," he said.

"Well, I didn't stay face to face with him that night after all… I only listened to your conversation," she told him.

"Does that mean that you are less embarrassed just because you didn't have the chance to look at him personally when we were caught?" asked a confused Mr. Steele.

"Well, I should say that sounds a bit awkward, but you are probably right," she answered.

"I hope you don't mind to spoil us with another one of these interesting indoors stakeouts," he told her suggestively.

"Well, perhaps that could be arranged… Who knows, maybe sometime in the future it would be possible… another attempt…, just with a safer backup properly settled…" she answered.

He made two steps towards her, and pulled her into his arms, "I've never dreamed that any mere physical experience could be so stimulating," he gave her a tiny little kiss…, "The African Queen," then another one…, "Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn, United Artists, 1951," another, "I think I've found the perfect location for our tonight's sports session, Miss Holt."

"Stepping into the same trap twice, are we?" she answered, smiling inches from his mouth.

"Don't you think I'm capable of improving from my mistakes, Laura?" he asked her.

"I think you are a master if it's improvement what we're talking about, Mr. Steele," she answered.

"Let's lock the office doors, and…" He told her. But then, he couldn't help himself and joined her lips in a hot kiss... The training schedule started quite heatedly. But this time, they weren't going to be disturbed in the middle of the workout. Mildred had taken care of that. She'd had the supposed spoilsport, entangled in their own diversion…


End file.
